Why an avalanche?

Hi, I've previously always owned a silverado but now I might think about getting an avalanche. The black "wings" are kinda a turn off but at least there isn't any more cladding.
I'd like to lift it and put bigger tires on it. But why should I switch to an av?

Another consideration-depending on what you use it for a Suburban-used- can be a great substitute for a pickup.
I've owned pickups as my personal vehicle since 1975. Many were small Toyotas, but I had a 1980 D-100(long bed), a Nissan Titan, and a Toyota Tundra. I had motorcycles, so I would carry them in the bed, but 99% of the miles were just driving or hauling smallish stuff.

I got a 98 Suburban(195,000 miles) in 2007. It is a GREAT PICKUP substitute.I store the 3rd row(easy enough to reinstall) and when I fold up the 2nd row it has long bed pickup carrying capacity( about 98" long 50" wide). It easily carries 4x8 building material, and if I carry sheetrock( which I hate to work with) it won't get rained on.

The only downside is how tall an object it can carry. You can't carry a motorcycle in the back of a Suburban. Now you can tow a motorcycle trailer, or carry a motorcycle on a hitch carrier.

Now Suburbans- used- aren't as favorably priced as they were when gas was $4.However as gas creeps up in price used Suburbans will drop in price. They are still bargains- used. You can buy a 2003 with under 100,000 miles-for under $10,000.This is a vehicle that originally sold for $40,000.Same story on Yukon XLs.

We just traded in our 2007 Avalanche LTZ for the Sierra and I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss it. In 3 years we put almost 100,000 miles on it, mostly in the form of 3 or 4-day regional road trips and 1 or 2 cross-country trips per year. It is nearly silent on the highway with a ride so supple you'd swear it's a Caddy. The steering is fairly numb, but the amazing ride quality more than makes up for it's lack of road feel. Power in the 5.3 was never an issue. The LTZ 4WD we had was rated at 7,200lbs towing - we never towed more than about 4,100 and it performed the task beautifully. We just bought a 26' TT and didn't want to risk significant tranny problems with the Avalanche over time so we upgraded to a more capable tv. The Avalanche is the best of both worlds - you have a genuine SUV cabin with all the creature comforts you could possibly want (depending on how you outfit it) and you've got an extremely versatile and rugged bed that can be configured to meet your needs (dropping the midgate to extend the bed capacity, removing one bed panel for taller cargo, etc.). The bed is by far the most ingenious thing to ever grace a truck.. and it is the one thing we will miss most. The locking bed panels are a brilliant invention, STRONG and secure! Compartments housed in the two rear quarter panels allow more than enough room to store jacks, chocks, tools, outerwear, whatever - negating the need for a bed-mount toolbox. We've even used one of the compartments as an ice chest for our sodas and water (drain spout at the bottom), however, in hot weather the ice quickly melts away. It's still cool that you can use it for that purpose!

All in all, we hated seeing the Avy go, but in reality we needed a truck that's more capable of the hard labor involving towing a large and heavy TT. If you're thinking of getting an Avalanche and plan to tow less than 6,000 pounds or so (SAFELY, that is), it's one of the best decisions you can make. Period.

Another consideration-depending on what you use it for a Suburban-used- can be a great substitute for a pickup.
I've owned pickups as my personal vehicle since 1975. Many were small Toyotas, but I had a 1980 D-100(long bed), a Nissan Titan, and a Toyota Tundra. I had motorcycles, so I would carry them in the bed, but 99% of the miles were just driving or hauling smallish stuff.

I got a 98 Suburban(195,000 miles) in 2007. It is a GREAT PICKUP substitute.I store the 3rd row(easy enough to reinstall) and when I fold up the 2nd row it has long bed pickup carrying capacity( about 98" long 50" wide). It easily carries 4x8 building material, and if I carry sheetrock( which I hate to work with) it won't get rained on.

The only downside is how tall an object it can carry. You can't carry a motorcycle in the back of a Suburban. Now you can tow a motorcycle trailer, or carry a motorcycle on a hitch carrier.

Now Suburbans- used- aren't as favorably priced as they were when gas was $4.However as gas creeps up in price used Suburbans will drop in price. They are still bargains- used. You can buy a 2003 with under 100,000 miles-for under $10,000.This is a vehicle that originally sold for $40,000.Same story on Yukon XLs.

Just a thought.
Charlie

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I would second this too....I have only owned my burb since earlier this year, but I have definitely got some good use out of it. I have loaded pallets right in the back with a forklift a few times....one time I put pieces of plywood up to protect the sides and floor to load up some logs (required some vacuum action afterwards but really not too bad), used it to haul a lot of chain link fencing material.... they are also great for pets. And X2 on the 3rd row seat...got that stored too, dont know if i will ever use it but its nice to have.